Markham is where NHL should add a franchise
By Mark Schadenberg
My opinion alone, but Las Vegas is the
wrong place for a NHL expansion franchise.
I do think the NHL could expand easily
to 32 teams and the talent does exist to do so. I would place a
second team in Toronto (I know, I know, the GTA doesn't currently
have a NHL calibre team, but maybe some in-market competition could
change that quicker), along with Quebec City or possibly the west
coast such as Seattle or Portland.
The current silly NHL waiver rules are
keeping healthy experienced pro hockey players in the press box, such
as Frank Corrado in Toronto (acquired from Vancouver on waivers a few
weeks ago.) My list of eligible NHLers would also include a long list
of players currently in the OHL, WHL, QMJHL, NCAA, minor pro and
Europe. There have been several players taking early retirement or
moving across the pond in recent years.
NHL Experience Chart
Determines Who Is Eligible To Automatically Be Sent To Minors
Or Who Must Clear Waivers First.
Expansion could lure some top-end
players back from the KHL or the Swedish Elite league, or attract
more players to North America who have yet to appear on a frozen oval
here as a pro.
By looking around AHL rosters, I would
think two expansion teams could be stocked partially by this list of
former OHLers: Richard Panik, Josh Leivo, Brendal Leipsic, Stuart
Percy (I'm sure the Leafs believe those four will be full-time NHL
skaters someday along with youngsters William Nylander, Kasperi
Kapanen, Connor Brown, Mitch Marner, Jeremy Bracco, Rinat Valiev and
Travis Dermott), Dustin Jeffrey, Greg McKegg, Nikita Zadorov, Matt
Puempel, Nick Cousins, Tim Brent, Alan Quine, Trevor Carrick, Eric
Tangradi, Cameron Gaunce, Freddie Hamilton, Nick Baptiste, Lucas
Lessio, and first-year pro Tobias Lindberg from the Memorial Cup
champion Oshawa Generals.
Mitchell Marner at NHL Rookie Tournament in September
The list of others who are big-show
ready or recently demoted could include: Ty Rattie, Derrick Pouliot,
Travis Morin, Charles Hudon, Hunter Shinkaruk, Linden Vey, Eric
O'Dell, Jeff Tambellini, Peter Harrold, Zach Boychuk, JC Lipon, Tim
Erixon, along with goalies Calvin Pickard, Michael Leighton, Yann
Danis, Peter Budaj, Matt Murray, Leland Irving, Jordan Binnington,
and 20-year-old youngster Eric Comrie in the Jets system.
If most of my list above is in the 'big
show' within the next two years, how many in the NHL now will be
demoted or relocated to Europe?
All of the players listed seem to be
missing one ingredient to establishing a full-time NHL roster spot in
the current set up of 30 teams (experience, skating, back checking,
size, and of course the imperative of needing fortitude,
determination, attitude and competitiveness) so the NHLPA union
should be encouraging expansion and the 50 more NHL lineup
opportunities.
Also, with the need for TV revenue, the
number of two-minute TV timeouts has risen to the point where a
club's fourth line plays maybe eight minutes on most nights.
Those players may want an opportunity to play elsewhere – bloom
where they 'earn' more ice without the gloom of not progressing as a
team's 12th forward on a depth chart.
As for expansion, I like the Markham
area on the north side of Toronto as it's far enough away from
Buffalo to avoid (in my opinion) paying gigantic geography stipends
residual cheques to the Sabres coffers as it would be outside any
logical radius. I would firmly believe any Hamilton club would need
both a new arena and very deep pockets to compensate the Buffalo
ownership. Markham's population, which could be defined also as
Richmond Hill, but also east to Durham Region (Whitby, Oshawa,
Pickering, Ajax and Bowmanville), but certainly farther afield to
Lindsay and Peterborough. The Markham market could also assimilate
anything northward from the 407 – Newmarket to Aurora, Barrie to
Stouffville, and those living in the shadow of Canada's Wonderland
mountain. Naturally – in this age of televising every game –
Toronto hockey fans would naturally own both a Leafs and Toros
jersey. I suggest Toros only because the famed Markham Waxers logo
simply wouldn't work.
In the meantime, can someone in one of
the five hockey circles step forward and fix the waiver system
because it truly penalizes a team for more than two minutes if they
want to send a struggling under-achieving player to the minors to
'find' his game. Instead, another club acquires that player's rights
and the current club loses its equity. This writing includes three
links with explanations on the current system, which is broken, even
though (in theory) the Collective Bargaining Agreement should promote
parity.
Corrado should be able to ply his trade with the AHL Marlies if he is unable to crack the top six on the Leafs blueline. He must stay fit and ready. The only thing he will find in the press box, which does include holding a stick, is Haagen-Dazs.
Corrado should be able to ply his trade with the AHL Marlies if he is unable to crack the top six on the Leafs blueline. He must stay fit and ready. The only thing he will find in the press box, which does include holding a stick, is Haagen-Dazs.
On the flip side, when playoffs roll around, the big-league club hopes their AHL team misses the playoffs so they can call-up several reinforcements. However, NHL teams which miss the playoffs quickly demote all players eligible (based on the experience chart) to the farm and suddenly find post-season success at the AHL affiliate level.
LINKS:
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs-claim-frank-corrado-off-wiavers-from-vancouver-canucks/
Markham Arena stories:
Mark
Schadenberg, Sales Representative
Senior
Real Estate Specialist (SRES designation)
Royal
LePage Triland Realty Brokerage
757
Dundas St, Woodstock
(519)
537-1553, cell or text
Email:
mschadenberg@rogers.com
Twitter:
markroyallepage
Facebook:
Mark Schadenberg, Royal LePage Triland
Discussion
. . . Direction . . . Determination . . . Destination
No comments:
Post a Comment